


Moments Later

by Inwiste



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/F, M/M, Major Character Injury, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, pristine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-02
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2021-01-16 23:08:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21279245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inwiste/pseuds/Inwiste
Summary: Pepper wishes she could change the past. Maybe Christine would be okay if she hadn't missed their date.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any characters with the exception of OC's. All characters belong to Marvel.

_ Pain is what the world inflicts upon us. Suffering is our emotional reaction when we fail to make the difficult conscious choice to choose joy. _

John Lockwood Huie

Never before had Pepper wished she could change the past to such an extent. She’d been so frustrated after work, she completely forgot about her dinner with Christine. Their anniversary dinner. She promised to meet Christine at 8 o’clock at Per Se but the meeting with the stockholders pushed the thought to the back of her mind. Their anniversary was tomorrow, but they decided to celebrate the night before and spend the next day together at home. It was supposed to be their special night, but Pepper ruined it all. 

She left her office at 8:30, not checking her phone until she got to the lobby of Stark Industries, preparing to take a taxi back to their apartment when she froze. Five missed calls and at least ten texts from Christine asking where she was, saying she’d been waiting for over half an hour. Without waiting for a second, she dialed Christine’s number, cringing when she heard Christine’s worried voice.

“Pepper, are you okay? You never showed up to dinner.”

“Christine, I’m fine. I am so sorry, I got caught up in a meeting with the stockholders. Are you still at the restaurant? I can be there in fifteen minutes.”

“No, I just left. I was about to catch a taxi to go to Stark Industries.”

“I’m so sorry. Do you want to go back?”

“Not really. I waited for over half an hour. It got embarrassing quite quickly. Why don’t you just meet me at the apartment? We can order takeout and you can tell me about your day. I’m about to cross the street to get to 8th Street. I’m going to catch a taxi from Madison Square Gardens.”

“Christine, I’m sorry. Let me just meet you where you are and we can go home together. I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

“It’s fine Pepper, don’t worry. You don’t need to. I’ll be back home soon.”

“Okay. Love you, Chris.”

“Love you too Pep. See you soon.”

Ending the call, Christine sighed. She wrapped her coat closer to her body. Despite her scarf, coat, and tights, the wind was quite chilling and she couldn’t help but shiver. She wasn’t really mad, just tired. Secretly, she was a bit glad Pepper wasn’t able to make it. She felt so uncomfortable in the restaurant without her partner. Pepper radiated confidence, she belonged among the upper echelon that dined there. Christine? Not so much. No amount of make-up or fancy dress could change the fact that she didn’t belong. Glancing up at the crosswalk light, she breathed a sigh of relief as it changed to the walk sign. She was eager to get home and see Pepper. She stepped into the street, fingers quickly tapping out a message on her phone to Pepper, letting her know that she was going to stop at the Chinese restaurant near their apartment before she came home. She never saw the car coming. 

____________________________________

_ It’s so hard to forget pain, but it’s even harder to remember sweetness. We have no scar to show for happiness. We learn so little from peace.  _

Chuck Palahniuk

Pepper was beginning to worry. Christine texted her letting her know she was stopping to get Chinese, but that was half an hour ago. Since then, she had received no messages from her. Nothing. She hoped she wasn’t still mad. Their relationship so far had been amazing. Christine was every part of what she was looking for in a partner. This dinner was supposed to be special. One year since they met at the party Tony hosted. She couldn’t believe she screwed this up. 

A small ball of fur rubbed up against her ankles, granting her a reprieve from her guilt. Regina stared up at her with her big green eyes, seemingly asking the same question Pepper was thinking. She leaned down and absentmindedly scratched Regina’s ears and murmured. 

“I want to know where your mommy is too Regina. We’ll just have to wait.”

Seconds later, she heard her phone ring on the counter. Leaving Regina, she walked over to the counter and felt her heart drop into her stomach as she saw the caller ID - Metro General. They never called her except for the all of the times Tony was there getting stitched up after a particularly rough battle and couldn’t make it back to the compound. Praying that the worst didn’t happen, she picked up the phone.

“Is this Pepper Potts?”

“Yes, this is her.”

“You may wish to sit down Ms. Potts. I have urgent news for you.”

She sank into one of the bar stools, her heart thumping wildly in her chest. No. This couldn’t be happening. Everything was fine.

“You are listed as Christine Palmer’s primary emergency contact. We are calling you to inform you that earlier tonight she was hit by a car while crossing the street. She is currently in surgery. We advise that you come to the hospital. You may meet our staff there and learn more about the situation. Are you able to come?”

She whispered “Yes. I’ll be there as soon as I can. Thank you.”

With shaking hands, she ended the call. Her mind was reeling. Christine, car, hospital, surgery. She had to leave immediately. Christine, Christine needed her. She took a deep breath and composed herself. She needed Christine.

She called Happy, informed him of the situation and asked him to come to her apartment building as soon as he could. She had to get to the hospital. After asking the neighbors to look after Regina, she departed for the elevator and quickly decided to take the stairs. Happy was waiting by the time she got to the front of the building, worry evident in his eyes. In the short time he had known Christine, he grew quite fond of her. 

She looked away. She couldn’t handle this right now. She needed to get to Christine.

“Happy, we need to get to Metro-Gen. Can you do it?”

“Of course. We’ll be there before you know it.”

The car ride was a blur. Happy sped through the streets and kept his eyes on the road, but Pepper saw the way his hands gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white. She felt the same way. 

After what felt like forever, they stopped in front of Metro-General, Happy quickly letting her out and going to inform Tony of what happened. That was if Stephen didn’t already know. She rushed through the doors, memories flooding back as she walked to the front desk. Every time she came to pick Christine up and walk home with her after work spun through Pepper’s mind. There was no time for that now. 

“Hello, I’m here for Christine Palmer. I received a call that she was in an accident.” She kept her voice as calm as she could, trying to prevent from breaking down in front of the woman at the desk. 

“Pepper? Thank god.”

She whipped her head around to see Chief Blasey. The woman looked relieved to see her. Taking quick strides, she walked to Chief Blasey and did her best not to collapse on the floor beneath her.

“Christine. What happened to Christine?”

“You should sit down Pepper.” She guided her to a couple of seats in the waiting room, sitting down right after Pepper. 

“The paramedics said that it appeared she was crossing the street and a driver wasn’t paying attention and hit her. She flew about ten feet and hit the asphalt. Nick is in surgery with her now. We’ll just have to wait and see what he finds.”

Pepper felt the world narrow down to a speck of dirt on the floor, Chief Blasey’s voice fading out of her mind. This was her fault. If she hadn’t missed their date. If she hadn’t gotten distracted, Christine would be okay. She wouldn’t be lying on an operating table in the hospital where she worked, with her fellow doctors and nurses performing surgery on her. None of this would happen. 

Christine would be with her. Not the memory of forgetting their date and hearing her say I love you. Possibly for the final time. 

__________________________________________

_ The keenest sorrow is to recognize ourselves as the sole cause of all our adversities. _

Sophocles

She must have fallen asleep in the chair, judging by a twinge of pain in her back when she sat up. She felt the warmth of a jacket on her shoulders and noticed the two men sitting next to her. Semsomg she was awake, Tony turned to her and offered her a wan smile, quickly pulling her into a hug. Tony was here. Thank god. Next to him, she saw Stephen staring off into the distance, his face a blank slate. He didn’t seem to notice Pepper wake up or Tony move. 

“Hey Pep.”

“Tony, you’re here.”

“Of course we’re here. Stephen and I came as soon as Happy called us. Stephen was too distraught to make a portal, so Happy came and picked us up. He’s currently sleeping next to Stephen. Don’t worry, it’s only been a couple of hours.”

“It’s my fault.” She whispered.

Tony turned to face her again with concern etched on his face. “Pep?”

“Tonight was supposed to be our anniversary dinner and I forgot. She was walking home when she got hit. If I didn't-” 

“No. Don’t go there Pep. It’s not your fault, that meeting was stressful as hell. The only person anyone blames is the driver. They were on their phone and didn’t notice Christine or the walk light. It wasn’t your fault.” With those words, he pulled her tighter and she finally let her tears fall. All she could think about was Christine. She needed to see her, to know she was okay.

Stephen still hadn’t moved. His posture never changed, his blank expression never wavered. He seemed to be in a world of his own. Pepper knew that he was Christine’s closest friend and vice-versa. Though it was normally him coming in needing stitches. Not Christine. 

It was another hour before she saw Chief Blasey round the corner, a tired expression on her face. At this, Stephen broke his trance and shot up, desperation clear on his face. 

“Chief. Christine? Is she-?” He couldn’t finish. He needed to hear the words.

“She’s out of surgery now. She had quite a bit of internal bleeding combined with 5 broken ribs, 2 cracked, and a massive amount of bruising on her spine. There appears to be no brain damage, but we suspect her to have at least a mild concussion, if not severe. Although this situation is far from lucky, she got quite lucky. She’s still asleep, but you can come to see her. Since she’s in stable condition, she won’t be in the ICU. Let me take you to her.”

While the words comforted her and relieved some tension, it didn’t ease her anxiety. She needed to see Christine. She needed to see her girlfriend. 

After Tony roused Happy he wrapped his arm around Stephen’s and they followed the chief down the hall. Christine’s room was not far away, but every second was agony. Finally arriving in front of a door, the chief stopped and turned around. 

“Although she’s out of surgery and stable, we have a mask hooked up to her to make sure that the ribs don’t hinder her breathing. Let’s go in.”

Silently opening the door, the group walked into the large room, all gazes immediately falling on the figure in the bed where a nurse was taking notes. 

“I’ll leave you alone with her. I’ll be back in an hour or so. She’ll most likely be showing signs of waking then.” She then left the room and the nurse followed suit, showing the chief the chart as they walked out.

Pepper had never seen Christine so small. Covered in cuts and bruises, her hair was partially obscured by bandages protecting where her head hit the pavement. The blanket smothered her figure, leaving only her neck and head visible, her face blank and peaceful. The only sounds filling the room were the sounds of the mask and the steady beeping of the heart monitor. She was alive.

She approached the bed first, pulling a chair close to the side of the bed. She took in Christine’s appearance, the rise and fall of her chest, and sighed. She was here. She heard Stephen’s soft footsteps padding towards her and the sound of him moving a chair next to hers. Pepper felt him take one of her hands into his scarred ones and looked into his eyes, seeing only relief. She smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder. She agreed. She pushed down her guilt and self-loathing for now because Christine was here. That was all she needed for now. 

______________________________________________

_ Sometimes you must hurt in order to know, fall in order to grow, lose in order to gain, because life’s greatest lessons are learnt through pain.  _

Nagato

The first thing she felt was pain. It exploded in fireworks across her body. Her mind felt fuzzy. Something had happened, that was why she was here and in pain. She was crossing the street, she heard a screech, looked to her right and then darkness. She struggled to open her eyes, at first only making out fuzzy shapes and bright lights. Too bright. 

“Christine? I think she’s waking up. Let’s call a nurse.”

“Dim the lights. She has a headache and the fluorescent white isn’t helping.”

The lights slowly faded and with it some of the burning sensation in her eyes. Slowly, her vision cleared to show three figures by the edge of the bed, all looking at her. 

“Did I miss a party? I’m sorry” she murmured. She felt so fuzzy, warmth bleeding into her bones at the sight of the woman closest to her. She knew her. She just didn’t quite know-how. She was pretty though, with strawberry blonde hair and sun-kissed skin. Whoever had her must be lucky.

The woman leaned in closer, concern etched on her face. She brushed some of Christine’s hair to the side and she leaned into the touch. It felt so familiar, she just couldn’t place it. She didn’t have much time to ponder before sleep took her again. 

__________________________

Pepper breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of Christine waking. They called a nurse at the first signs of waking, but it didn’t do much, as Christine fell asleep after a minute or so of consciousness. Pepper watched silently as the nurse checked her vitals. 

“This is quite common. We used a powerful anesthetic for the surgery, and that combined with the amount of blood she lost means that she’ll most likely sleep a great deal with increasing periods of wakefulness. The more she sleeps, the better. She’ll be in pain when she wakes up. Please let me know the next time she wakes up and if she says anything.” Pepper murmured a thank you and stepped aside as the nurse made her way to the door and walked out. 

The nurse’s predictions were correct. Christine woke up every few hours, disoriented but each time a little more focused. The only concern was that she didn’t seem to recognize them. Doctor West arrived after the second time she woke up and spoke with them at length about the procedure.

“She suffered a severe concussion most likely caused by her head hitting the road after the collision. Temporary amnesia is quite common in these cases. We’re taking her for an MRI in roughly 30 minutes to make sure that no complications have developed and that her head is stable. I strongly suggest that you go home. She’ll be sleeping for quite some time. You can come back in the morning.” With one final look at Christine’s prone form, he left the room.

Stephen sighed and put his head in his hands. “As much as I hate to admit it, Nick’s right. She’ll be asleep for quite some time and we aren’t helping her or ourselves by being her. They’ll have a nurse to look after her. We can come back in the morning.” 

Tony nodded and stood up, offering a hand to Pepper. She took it and stood, wincing slightly as her back protested after sitting in the same position for several hours. She took Christine’s hand and squeezed it once, then leaned down to kiss her softly on the head. With one last look, she followed Tony and Stephen out of the room. 


	2. Chapter 2

_ Tears come from the heart and not the brain. _

Leonardo da Vinci

Sleep came and went for Pepper, with Christine at the forefront of her thoughts. The ride to the hospital with Stephen and Tony was quiet. A glance at their faces showed their haggard appearances. They slept about as well as she did. Chief Blasey’s face came into view as they walked through the glass doors of Metro-Gen., her eyes betraying no emotion. 

“Come with me. She woke up another time during the night and was much more lucid. Her MRI was clear and her chest x-ray looked good as well. She’ll most likely wake up again soon.” She led them down the long white hall before stopping at the door to Christine’s room. “I’ll leave you three alone. Press the call button if you need anything.” She walked off.

Pepper walked through first, eyes immediately settling on the pale figure in the bed. Christine’s pallor was greatly improved and she looked much better than when she saw her last. Her face was still slightly drawn, but it had lost the lines of pain and exhaustion. She hadn’t realized she’d stopped in the middle of the room until Tony and Stephen guided her to a chair next to her bedside, sitting her down and taking seats next to her. 

Tony put his hand on Pepper’s, his eyes tiredly meeting her gaze. Stephen was staring at Christine’s sleeping face, seemingly in a world of his own. This last day couldn’t have been easy for him. Christine was his closest friend. He never expected to see her hurt. If only… No. Pepper shook her head and chased those thoughts out of her mind. Self-loathing would have to wait. They had to think about Christine now. She needed them. 

Several hours passed with no signs of waking as Christine continued to sleep peacefully. Another hour passed with Pepper checking her email, responding to messages she’d missed over the night, Stephen meditating, and Tony checking messages as well when they all stopped what they were doing and focused their attention towards the woman on the bed. Christine stirred, her eyes beginning to flutter and her face showing signs of waking. Putting her phone down, Pepper leaned in towards the bed.

“Christine? Chris, it’s Pepper.” A sigh escaped from Christine’s lips. Her eyes opened slowly, meeting Pepper’s relieved expression. “Pep?” Pepper blinked away tears, nodding. “It’s me, Chris. Stephen and Tony are here too. How do you feel?” Christine chuckled. “Like I got hit by a truck. Is that why I’m in the hospital?” 

Pepper pushed a strand of hair back behind Christine’s ear and let Stephen answer. “Close. You were hit by a car crossing the street last night.” Her face slowly turned to focus on Stephen, her lips lifting at the corners at the sight of his slight smile. “Figures I would have that kind of luck. You look like hell Steph. You all do.”

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Pepper smiled and responded. “We were worried about you, Chris. You don’t look like a shining angel yourself you know.” Christine giggled at Pepper’s words before falling silent with a slightly somber look. “I’m sorry I worried you guys. I don’t know how it happened. I was being careless.” 

Pepper shook her head fiercely and grabbed Christine’s hand. “It’s not your fault. The driver ran the light. Don’t blame yourself, Chris, it could have happened to anyone.” 

“I know.” She opened her mouth to continue but winced as she tried to pull herself into more of a sitting position. Tony spoke up this time. “Oh no, you don’t Christine. You just had surgery, take it easy.” Giving him a half-hearted glare, she settled down again. She knew he was right but hated to admit it. 

Pepper smiled at the banter, a great weight lifted from her chest. Christine was here. Alive. They had a long way to go but for now, this was all they needed. 

______________________________________________

_ They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for. _

Tom Bodett

After a week, Christine was allowed to go home to their apartment. Stephen and Tony helped carry groceries while Pepper helped Christine. Christine tired easily due to the pain and the painkillers she was given and quickly fell asleep on the couch. After making sure she was comfortable and in a good position, Pepper turned to Stephen and Tony. 

“I don’t know what I would do without you two. Thank you so much for helping. Stephen, I know this has been absolute hell for you and I’m sorry.” Stephen smiled and embraced her. “Pepper, I will always do everything I can to help. I’m just glad she’s okay.” Tony squeezed his shoulder as he stepped back, giving Pepper a reassuring smile. “We’ll be here whenever you need us Pep.” She smiled back and gestured towards the kitchen. “Why don’t we sit and chat? I’ll grab some muffins. I don’t know about you guys, but I could use a good muffin.”

_______________________

  
When Christine awoke it was dark outside and the fire was on. Regina was curled up next to her, clearly happy to see her owner home safe and sound. She reached out and stroked Regina’s fur, listening to the content purrs of the cat. She forgot how nice her home was. The hospital was quite boring, especially as she spent more time conscious and bored. She was off work for 7 more weeks, and then she went back to work in a limited capacity.

“I’m glad to see you’re awake. Tony and Stephen left about an hour ago. They had to get back. Peter and the other Avengers asked about you. I told them that you were doing much better but have a long recovery ahead.” Pepper strolled into view, dressed in a thick sweater and simple leggings, her hair in a messy bun. She sat next to Christine’s head and scratched behind Regina’s ears as she stretched and went over to Pepper seeking attention. 

Christine pushed herself into a sitting position, then slid over to lean against Pepper and listened to their heartbeats mingle. She sighed and snuggled in closer to her girlfriend and inhaled the scent of jasmine and lavender with the unique scent of Pepper. “I missed this. A lot.” Pepper shifted so Christine’s back was to her chest. She tangled her fingers in her hair and worked to untangle the knots that had formed as she slept. “I did too. Too bad the hospital bed wasn’t big enough for two.” At the joke, Christine giggled, then winced as Pepper worked through a particularly nasty knot. “I’m glad we’re home now. Do you want to watch something?”

“Sure. I think Disney is in order after the week we’ve had.”

“Obviously. Mulan or Atlantis?” 

“Let’s watch Atlantis. It’s been a while since we’ve seen that one.” Pepper leaned over the side of the couch to grab an afghan to drape over themselves. They snuggled in closer and turned on the movie, drowning out the sounds of the rain gently hitting the glass outside. 

__________________________________________

_ Happiness is being content with what you have, living in freedom and liberty, having a good family life and good friends. _

Divyanka Tripathi

She was finally able to go back to work. After 2 months, they decided she could go back to her job in a limited capacity. She squealed with delight when she heard the news, eager to be back and busy. As the day drew closer, she felt her anxiety slowly rise. She hadn’t been in the hospital since the accident, except for follow-up appointments. It had been 2 months since she’d operated. She’d gone long before, but it was still stressful, to say the least. Arms encircled her waist and Pepper kissed her cheek lightly. 

“You’re worrying too much. You’ve got that expression on your face again. Everything will be fine.” Christine sighed and leaned into her girlfriend’s chest. She was right, of course. Her anxiety began to slowly dissipate as she breathed in Pepper’s familiar scent and felt the warmth radiating off her girlfriend. “How are you always right?” She murmured, smiling when Pepper gave her a soft kiss on the neck. “It’s a gift. My superpower granted to me. It’s how I survive Tony’s antics.” She giggled at Pepper’s last remark and twisted out of her embrace so she could head to the kitchen. Regina brushed her legs as she walked past and made her way to the tea kettle. 

“Any SI meetings today?” Pepper rolled her eyes at Christine’s question and took a seat at the island. “It wouldn’t be a day at work without an SI meeting. I have three. What about you?” Christine hummed and grabbed a teabag out of the box. “I’m not quite sure. Chief Blasey said she’d talk to me once I got to work. I imagine it’ll be some lab work so I can ease into it. I’m just happy to be going back. As much as I love spending time with you and Regina, I’ve been going a bit crazy being stuck here.” 

“I understand. It’s been a long couple of months. I’m glad you’re better now though.” With those final words, she stood up and strolled over to Christine, surprising her with a soft kiss. She rested her forehead lightly against her girlfriend’s, smiling softly as she gazed into her eyes. “I’m just happy you’re here.”

Christine giggled and kissed her girlfriend once more. “The world will have to try a lot harder than that to get rid of me. I’m not leaving anytime soon.”


End file.
